Dr. Goldfoot And The Bikini Machine

I happened to find this movie when I was reading up on Vincent Price on wikipedia (as you do).

The title intrigued me and I just had to find out more about it.

Thankfully there's not much to decipher.
Here's the movie poster (I want one for my house).

And here's the movie trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jW42b0K6VvQ

Here we have Dr Goldfoot (Vincent Price) intent on taking over the world.
Vincent Price is perfect for this role however I soon learned that he didn't seem to thoroughly enjoy his time on the set.
Something about too much singing and dancing and not enough comedy.
Vincent, you know you're stuff. Too often comedies are spoiled by too much singing and dancing.
And anyhow, you never argue with a man in a suit like this one.

Here is the hadless secret agent Craig Gamble (played very well by Frankie Avalon).
This movie hasn't done much to take the shine off of Avalon. The movie is silly, Avalon is perfectly silly in it.
It's a perfect match!

In the role of Diane is someone whom I've never heard of before, Susan Hart.
I wondered what happened to Susan Hart after this movie. She simply retired from acting.
Susan did a pretty good job as the head robot, I thought.
What's more she knew how to sex it up without showing all and sundry either.
Just look at this image of her.

Dr. Goldfoot And The Bikini Machine has obvious traits to another movie which came much later.
Yep, Austin Powers: International Man Of Mystery. The movies, despite the story differences, have so much in common it's hard to not notice.

But it's perfectly okay. Mike Myers did his impersonation of Dr. Goldfoot (at least in the costume department), yet Vincent Price did it better.

Another obvious homage to Dr. Goldfoot is Vanessa Kensington in Austin Powers, who is later revealed to be a sexbot, much like those produced in the bikini machine.
But when you look at this image of Elizabeth Hurley, who's complaining?!?

I give Dr. Goldfoot And The Bikini Machine 7 stars out of 10.
It's perfect for the era it was set in (1960's) yet by today's standard it's aged remarkable.
Therein lies the movies appeal however.
If you can track it down and you're in the mood for something fun (and very silly) I highly recommend it.

Planet Of The Apes

I remember seeing this movie at a charity event. My brother and I would go to these monthly movie charity events, depending on the movie. The tickets were a few dollars off so why not?
I still remember the ticket stub, and I think I still have it somewhere in my collection. It was a large piece of cardboard with the movie poster printed on it including the cast members of that particular film.
I hadn't heard too much about this Planet Of The Apes so I was interested to see (according to the ticket stub) what role George Clooney would play in the movie.

Not to spoil those who haven't seen this movie, but George Clooney is nowhere to be seen.

Here's the movie trailer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1lZ3un-kcg

And here's the movie poster

For it's time this movie was pretty darn good, and you need to commend the production staff for keeping the apes as actors in monkey suits.

Now I'll be the first to admit that Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes is the better movie but still, for actors in monkey suits-appeal, this movie is up there.

Another surprise for me was seeing Mark Wahlberg as the human (it was the role he was born to play baby!).
At the time of this movies release Mark still had a bit of the stigma from his days as Marky Mark. But since then he's become known as an actor, and he's shown he certainly can act.
In this movie? Well, there's a bit of talent.

Talking about talent we have Estella Warren as slave girl 69. Er, wait, her name's Daena. (I have to look it up on imdb to be sure)
Estella's role is pretty forgettable, and some would say her acting skills are pretty regrettable. But oh well, we knew what role she was really there for. To get the horny teenage boys in to see the film.
And it worked! The movie was a success enough to spawn a sequel/prequel/remake/reboot/reimagining 10 years later with Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes.

Now here's where the fun begins. Tim Roth was cast in the role of Thade.
A particularly evil monkey.
Seeing the dimensions and just the little things Tim brings to the role; it's a delight to watch.

The same can be said for all the actors in monkey suits actually.
Playing the role of Attar is Michael Clarke Duncan. Michael has the physical presence but it's not until you hear his booming voice that you realise who it is.
And the damage his character visits on the other actors in the fight scenes has to be seen to be believed. Wow.

One actor I didn't like in this movie is Helena Bonham Carter, in the role of Ari.
Her husband/partner/whatever (Tim Burton) is the director so her inclusion in this movie simply felt like he was giving her a pay day.
Helena has seen gone on to milk more pay days out of about 4 other Tim Burton-directed movies.
It's like seeing your manager at work give his wife a high paying job for not really doing all that much.
It's a bit much.

It also doesn't help that Helena's role as Ari comes across as a hippie, tree-hunging, lefty extremist. Not actually something I want shoved down my throat if I'm forking over cash to see a movie.

One actor really having fun in his role is Paul Giamatti. This was 3 years before Sideways came out and people started to notice Paul's work, but you can see Paul is loving the role of Limbo. A slave-trader for both humans and apes.
Limbo is also the only orangutan (that I could see) in this movie.
Not sure what that has to say about orangutans, but nonetheless it's fun to watch Paul in his scenes.

All in all I think this movie is still a very watchable, very enjoyable movie.
I give it 7 1/2 out of 10.
Even despite the noticeable lack of George Clooney.

Interview with... Juan-Luis Sanchez

My next interview has been a long time in the making, purely because the interviewee is so incredibly busy with his work.
Of course I'm talking about Visual Effects whiz Juan-Luis Sanchez.
Juan-Luis has had a hand in such films as Harry Potter, Nightmare On Elm Street, and even Star Wars.
So I hope you enjoy this very insightful interview with Juan-Luis Sanchez.

1. How does someone come to work in the Visual Effects Department for a movie studio? What credentials do you require?

In my case I came from studying Physics and then completing a Computer Science Masters. From there I started out in the Pipeline group at Rhythm & Hues Studios (http://www.rhythm.com/). Nowadays many people come through established Visual Effects and Computer Animation courses at large universities/colleges. When I began my career these courses had only just started, and people came from many different backgrounds; architecture, fine art, film studies, theatre, photography, computer science.

As for credentials, well, the fact that people want to do this work and pursue it avidly might be considered enough credentials :). No, you need a mix of artistry and craft - all VFX work requires some amount of those two things. Depending on the role the focus may be on one or the other. There's no single university course or certificate that can demonstrate that someone has those things, you need to see what they've done on their own time, where their passions are, see examples of their work and talk to them about the things that motivate them. Nowadays people with an interest in VFX can make their own movies and do their own very high quality effects work on their home laptop and demonstrate their interest and ability that way. At the end of the day it's about the image that makes it onto the screen.

2. What has been your favourite project to work on so far, and why?

It's a tough one to answer because I've chosen every project because I wanted to work on it for some reason, regardless of whether it turned out to be a good movie in the end or not. The one that I had the best time on however, for a host of reasons, would probably be Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones.

3. What did you do you on The Dark Knight?

I was involved in the early stages of post production, helping with the environment work building Gotham City out of Chicago. Unfortunately I wasn't able to take that work into actual shot production, I moved back to the USA before that happened.

4. What difference is there, visually, between the original and 2010 remake of Nightmare On Elm Street?

If you look at the original film it has a simpler visual style, even though there are very surreal images and sequences in there. It was a very low-budget horror film and that translated to the shooting style. Wes Craven had some very interesting ideas and tone that he wanted to convey and he did that with a few striking images and moments that everyone remembers. The newer film, although still relatively low-budget by todays standards, is a much slicker affair, directed by someone who came from the advertising and music video world, so it has a much more style-conscious look.

As far as Freddy is concerned, there was a desire to take his make-up design away from the monstrous 'Pizza-face' that he had become known for in the classic films, and try to establish a different identity for him, more based on what might happen to a real burn victim. It was an interesting choice but perhaps it caused less fear and more pity in the audience, which doesn't make him a threatening figure.

5. What’s it like on the Harry Potter movies?

I worked on The Chamber of Secrets (2) and The Order of The Phoenix (5), and I saw both The Philosopher's Stone (1) and The Prizoner of Azkaban (3) while they were in production. They were all very different films, mainly because the directors of the films changed a lot in the first few years, and the technology advanced a lot. You can see the effects in the first few films don't look as good as those later on, and in part it was a process of discovery for everyone involved. Still, they were relatively straightforward because the production team on the studio side changed very little over the period the films were made, so there was consistency about the look and tone that they were going for, and they were very well organised productions. With that much money riding on everything, they wanted to make sure everything ran as smoothly as possible.

The first few were exciting, because it was all new. Everyone wanted to see what a Quidditch match would look like, or the Dementors, or Hogwarts itself. For instance, when ILM worked on the Quidditch match in Chamber of Secrets, there was a desire to improve on what was done before. I think that's part of it too, many different people all over the world have worked on these films over the years, and there's been a desire, a friendly competition as it were, to improve on whatever came before it. It's rare that you get to re-work characters and situations to try out new approaches both technical and artistic, every few years, to see how things have improved.

From a personal level, I got to appear as a Quidditch official as an extra in Chamber of Secrets, we shot some elements on bluescreen at ILM, so that was a lot of fun. I would have liked to have worked on The Deathly Hallows but I couldn't get to the UK (where just about all the effects have been done for the past 4 or 5 films) in time for it to happen.

6. Do the Harry Potter novels restrict you in any way?

By the time the shots have made it to me as an artist, all the crucial decisions have been made as far as how much to follow the books or not. It's a bigger question than just the VFX, the Harry Potter films have been sort of 'moving picture books' in some ways, unable to truly represent all the details, characters and plot lines of the books. But any attempt to re-tell or re-structure those stories to make more sense in a compressed movie time-frame would have met with great resistance from the main audience - all the kids who knew the books inside and out. So for better or worse the films follow the books very faithfully sometimes skipping over large bits of exposition or events knowing that the audience will have been filling in the blanks from their own readings of the books.
I worked on Dobby and his dirty pillowcase for The Chamber of Secrets and I found the book very helpful to read Dobby's description and how he wore the pillowcase, it helped me understand it better from the perspective of his character and what it meant to him. Personally, when there has been a book on which a film is based that I've worked on, I've liked having it to refer to for inspiration.

7. Mystery Men was a distinct look and style. What was it like to work on this movie?

We're going back a while now, not too many people want to talk about Mystery Men, lol. It was a non-super superheroes film (like Kick-Ass or others) made before people were ready for that kind of story. Still, it has a small cult following. I was just starting out as an VFX artist when I worked on it, and I did a number of bits and pieces for it. I think it was somewhat frustrating at the time as there didn't seem to be a clear focus of what to do or where we were heading with the film, but I remember it fondly now, a learning experience. I haven't seen the film in years.

8. What has been your most talked-about work?

Probably Yoda, in Episodes II and III. I set up his digital clothing, and was one part of a large team of people involved in making him a digital character. We were making Yoda a CG character for the first time and there was a lot of desire to do it right, to fully evoke the Yoda of The Empire Strikes Back, but do things that the character could not have possibly done as a puppet. To that end we got to meet Frank Oz and hear his detailed thoughts about the character, and we studied every piece of footage, every photograph, every outtake that we could find of the pre-digital Yoda, to make sure that anything we did was in keeping with that, involving lots of discussions about his character and how he would approach this or that. As a child I never thought I'd get to be paid to talk about Yoda! Whatever people thought about the final fight scene with Count Dooku, it was so satisfying to take him to a place that he had never been before, and feel that we managed to pull it off. I did his clothes for the shot in Episode II where he pulls back his robe and takes out the lightsabre before confronting Count Dooku, and the camera swings around him western-movie style, and that was a thrill. I still get excited to see that shot when I happen across it on TV or something.

Wow! Thank you so very much Juan-Luis!
I hope you got a kick out of reading that, because I saw did!

Please feel free to leave a comment below.
Until next time!

Trust

I watched this movie on the night of my birthday, and I really shouldn't have.
I knew what I was getting myself into. A mate had told me what it was about and how harsh it was but still I watched.

Here is the movie trailer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9J3fBSpXwc

And here is the movie poster.

After viewing the trailer I probably don't need to go into too much detail as to what the movie is about. Heck even the poster is pretty confronting.

Annie (Liana Liberato) is the main character for the most part however a lot of screen time is taken up by Will (Clive Owen).
Both actors do really well in their respective roles.

As much as Clive Owen's agents continue to push on cinema audiences that Clive is an action star this movie is actually a nice change of pace and Clive's strengths as an actor come out wonderfully in this film.

I'd read that Catherine Keener was in this film and I'd enjoyed her previous work such as 40-Year Old Virgin, and especially Death To Smoochy.
This is the darkest I've ever seen Catherine though. How'd have thought she could do drama so well?!

I knew going into to this movie that it was directed by Friends star David Schwimmer. Under no misconception did I think this movie was a comedy though. Far from it.

And just do you know, it was directed very well.

What got me though was the melodramatic dialogue, especially from Annie (and in one scene, Catherine Keener). By the end of the film I was exhausted from all the screaming and yelling.

I was just over it.

Here we have Charlie. In a role which could easily kill his career Chris Henry Coffey takes a chance portraying an online predator, and he does it would no cliched dialogue or undertones.

That's one good point about the movie. It could have very easily steered itself into an after-school special about online predators, but somehow it doesn't.

In a show of strength by the director's part is the home movie during the end credit. Just creepy.

All up I give this movie 5 out of 10. I wouldn't given it more because it is a very well-done film however I watched it on my birthday and it kind of ruined the day for me.

Until next time!

Shadow Of The Vampire

What I like about this film is that it isn't a vampire movie, it's a film about a film.
And it's a film for film fans.

Here is the movie poster.

And here is the movie trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAn5uLNMmjk

The film centres around the production of the 1922 silent horror film Nosferatu-Eine Symphonie des Grauens (Nosferatu-a Symphony of Horror).

Playing the director F. Murnau is John Malkovich.
I've never really been a fan of Malkovich, until I watched this film. Only then did I finally understand the point he is trying to make as an actor himself.
Malkovich seems to be one of those actors who attempts a role or genre at least once.
In this film he attempts to bring Murnau back to life, and I think he does so very well.
He is also giving homage to the silent film era.

What certainly helps the film along is the interaction between Murnau and character actor Max Shrek.
Played so very very well by Willem Dafoe.
Clearly this is a career highlight for Dafoe who is almost unrecognisable as Max Shrek.

The story of the production goes that Marnau discovered Max Shrek, who agreed to star as lead actor/villain Count Orlok. The rumour stands he only agreed to appear if he could actually kill someone on screen, during filming.
That's what makes watching this film all that more intriguing.
If you want to read more about the inner workings of the production please venture over to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nosferatu

Here we have Greta (Catherine McCormack) and Fritz (the shamefully underused actor Cary Elwes).

For those of you interested, yes there is a nude scene by McCormack, but if you're watching the film just for that reason you're doing yourself a disservice.

Another superb actor appearing here (as Gustav von Wanganhein) is Eddie Izzard.
Izzard is interesting as an actor in the same way Malkovich interests me. Izzard seems to want to make his mark on each genre offered to him.
He does this in this film, very well too I might add.

Of course it wouldn't be a vampire movie without Udo Kier, playing the role of Albin Grau.
Kier's role is somewhat small, but he does a lot with it.

And of course there is Max Shrek (Willem Dafoe). The main reason everyone wants to see this film.
As soon as he steps foot into his first scene you are spellbound by Dafoe's performance. In fact a few scenes in and I'd forgotten it was Willem Dafoe at all.
Dafoe literally becomes Max Shrek/Count Orlok so convincenly. It's a pleasure to watch.

Just to give you an example of how well the make-up department worked on Dafoe, here is how Max Shrek looked as Count Orlok in the original film.

So to cap it off, this is the best vampire movie I've ever watched.
Each actor is brilliant in their role.
It gets, easily, 10 out of 10 stars.

And two thumbs up.

Ain't that right Dafoe?

Yeah!

Interview with... Rhonda Shear

I have admit I only know my next interviewee from the movie, Spaceballs.

When I found the opportunity to interview Rhonda Shear I did some homework, and quickly discovered there was so much more to Rhonda that I didn't know.

I hope you enjoy my interview with Rhonda Shear.

1. What was it like on the set of Spaceballs?

Great energy, the set was really a lot of fun to work on-so many comedic greats! Mel Brooks was such a hands-on director/producer, and was constantly throwing lines to actors and making adjustments in a fun way. The diner scene that I was in had some special effects which actually kind of grossed me out even though they were so cheezy. All in all it was a really fun production to be a part of.

2. How did you get involved in the Spaceballs production?

I auditioned actually to be the waitress in the diner, but Mel was looking for a blonde (and I was a brunette at the time) but he wanted me in the film so I showed up, he threw me the line and that was it.

3. How does film differ from TV?

As far as filming for edit they are very similar. Live and/or unscripted TV is a little different . For example, while selling my line, Rhonda Shear Intimates on live shopping channels around the world I will have a producer talking in my ear, models and hosts to interact with and call-in customers. You really have to know what you are talking about, and be able to change directions quickly. I really enjoy both live and scripted programming!

4. Is comedy a favourite genre for you?

I have always loved comedy! I toured as a stand-up comedian with an amazing group of women comedians for several years and really enjoyed bringing comedy into my skits and bumpers for “USA: Up All Night”.

5. What is it like to film in front of an audience, on a set such as Cheers?

It’s a lot like theatre, but with cameras. They would do the whole show twice in front of two audiences and they would tape both and edit them together for TV if there was a mistake in one.

6. Describe your time working on The A-Team.

The A-Team was not filmed live so we just showed up in the sound studio to shoot lines. That was another really cool set to be working on ,although I was a little depressed that Mr. T had more jewelry than I did…

7. What would be an ideal role for you?

I love comedic roles, and was recently cast for a TV pilot with George Hamilton as a “Cougar” which was really a lot of fun. I have also had offers from some B-movie slasher type movies, and have been in some theatre productions over the last couple of years in a variety of roles everything from being tragic romantic in “Love Letters” to reading for the “Vagina Monologues”. So, really I’m up for anything! I love to preform and while I have not been able to devote the time to every opportunity I hope to continue acting and preforming forever!

8. What's coming up next for you?

So much is in the works right now! This is a really exciting time for me. Shear Enterprises, LLC just bought and moved into a beautiful new space that will allow us to continue growing. My line of shapewear, sleep wear, and foundations-Rhonda Shear Intimates- is now sold in 27 countries and on websites and live shopping networks around the world. We recently produced a wildly successful infomercial for one of my most popular products, the AhhBra which is also airing around the world. I am also working to bring “USA: Up All Night” back on the web, with all new episodes. We are starting to pitch a sexy reality show about the chaos of the lingerie business. Check out http://www.rhondashear.com/ to hear about all our latest exciting ventures!

9. Is there an event or charity you would like to bring to my readers' attention?

Yes! I am the event chair for the American Cancer Society’s Making Strides: Put on Your Pink Bra event this year. Proceeds go to research and support for those suffering from all kinds of cancer. We all know someone affected by this terrible disease, and this is a great opportunity to raise awareness and help those who so desperately need the support. For more information, to participate or to donate (anything helps!) please visit http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/MakingStridesAgainstBreastCancer/MSABCFY12Florida?team_id=971790&pg=team&fr_id=36036

I want to thank Rhonda for her time, and especially thank Marie Crane who made this interview possible.
If you want to check out more about Rhonda please do so at http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005418/
As per above you can also visit http://www.rhondashear.com/

Feel free to leave a comment below.

Until next time.

Interview with... Todd Robert Anderson

Just check out these photos.

They're of actor Todd Robert Anderson.

Fans of Todd know how cool he is, and after reading the interview I know you'll agree.

Todd's appeared in some great movies, and a slew of great TV shows.

He certainly has some very interesting things to say about his experiences.

I hope you enjoy my interview with... Todd Robert Anderson.

1. What was the appeal to get into acting?

I got into acting in junior high when a teacher encouraged me to try it. I was lousy at sports, and found that people thought I was good on stage, and suddenly girls wanted to talk to me, so I stuck with it. Short answer: girls.

2. How did you get involved in the film, Blast From The Past?

I was actually working part time for Denise Chamian, the casting director for Blast from the Past. I filed headshots for her a couple hours a day, and kept her assistants laughing, so she gave me a shot at a small part, and Hugh Wilson dug my take on the part, so he cast me. It was my first theatrical job, after having done a few national commercials.

3. That movie seems to be on TV at least once a year, especially here in Australia. What was it like to film?

It does get a lot of TV play here, as well. And a lot of people seem to like it, it's become one of those "cable perennials," a movie that did modestly at the box office but has stuck with people through the years. I worked on it for a week and a half, and given how small my part was, most of that time was spent sitting around in my trailer or chatting with Alicia Silverstone's bodyguard in the parking lot (that guy told some stories!) Alicia was really sweet, Brendan Fraser was a nice guy and easy to work with although somewhat aloof so I didn't really get to know him personally, but easily the best part was talking to Dave Foley in between takes, getting the dish on Kids in the Hall, which I am a huge fan of to this day.

4. Weeds is a great success. What is it like to be a part of?

It was great to be a part of Weeds, and not just because it is a popular show and my part was really well written and I love to play bad guys. It was very special because it was the first year one of my best friends, Stephen Falk, joined the writing staff, and being the great guy he is, he went out on a limb and whispered in the casting director's ear to bring me in for the part (this is not something most people who just started on a job would do for a friend.) We have been working together for years, both on stage and in short films (you can see us lampooning Footloose on my YouTube channel, and hear us talking movies at http://www.filmpigs.com/) so it was a special pleasure to get to sit together on a set and work together in a professional atmosphere...it was the first time we have ever worked together and actually get paid to do it!

5. Were you concerned with the subject matter for Weeds?

The subject matter of Weeds doesn't bother me a bit. I like edgy entertainment to begin with, it's really the only thing that keeps me engaged...really, if something isn't pushing the envelope, then what's the point? I don't find anything that isn't challenging to be entertaining, I get bored easily. As far as pot itself, I don't understand what the big deal is. It really isn't any more or less harmful than alcohol, so if people want to toke up, I say let them!

6. What challenges did you face doing comedy on the Nikki TV series?

Nikki was a lot of fun. The biggest challenge we had was the fact that it was such a low rated show we had a hard time drumming up audiences to sit in the studio. Frequently, a bus was sent out into Los Angeles to recruit an audience with the promise of free pizza and soda. As a result, a lot of the people who came were Spanish speaking, and didn't understand a lot of what we were talking about. It's tough doing comedy in front of a live audience that doesn't get the jokes. They don't laugh, and a silent studio is a sad one. We still had a great time, though. It was one of my favorite experiences...it's great to have a writer's room that gets what you're doing as an actor and plays to your sensibilities.

7. What would be your ideal role?

I can't say I have an ideal role. I'll play pretty much anything. I would love to see one of the screenplays I've written get produced with me in the lead. For example, my writing partner and I wrote a screwball comedy about middle-aged people trying to recapture their spring break glory days called Vodka and Sand, and doing that would be a dream come true.

8. What’s coming up next for you?

I shot a shoestring budget feature called Fuzz Track City in which I play the lead role, which was a great experience, and the producers are hoping to get it out to some film festivals later this year. Beyond that, I am just driving around Los Angeles and going to auditions and trying to score the next job...such is the life of a character actor!

9. Is there an event or charity you would like to bring to my readers’ attention?

If you are interested in reading in detail what my career has been like, you can read my book "Don't Act: 101 Reasons You Shouldn't" which is available through Amazon (U.S. only, but I'm pretty sure they will ship overseas) or you can get it on Kindle. Also, I wrote a horror novel called The Last Road Trip which is available through Amazon and Kindle as well, in addition to other ebook platforms. I am currently working on a new horror novel called Headache Man. If you want to see me doing some no-budget sketch comedy you can check out www.jokeybits.com, which is a lot of fun.

Thanks for the interview Todd, you're super cool!

I hope the reader's dug this interview.
Please feel free to leave a comment below.

Until next time.